Such a method is known from German patent document DE-A 196 31 112, published Feb. 6, 1997, T. Shirakawa, inventor. According to this document, a control device for an internal combustion engine is made such that, upon detection of a change in the operating conditions of the engine or upon an acceleration, a retardation of the fuel injection timing control is predicted. In coincidence with a difference between an actual fuel injection time and the predicted nominal fuel injection time, a nominal exhaust gas recirculation range, that is, a quantity or rate of exhaust gas recirculation, is corrected.